£170 a bag? Protein users squeezed as prices soar

Amarpreet Singh has been drinking protein shakes since he was 16.

The 30-year-old, who lives in London and works in banking, started going to the gym at a time when he says protein supplements were mostly associated with bodybuilders.

Fourteen years later, shakes are still part of his routine, but they have become considerably more expensive.

He says a 4.5kg bag of the whey protein he buys cost around £60 in 2020.

By last year, the price had gone up to £120, though he managed to get one from eBay for £90.

Among his gym friends, the rising prices have even been given a nickname – "proteinflation".

Over the years, protein powders and shakes have attracted a much broader customer base, while food manufacturers now offer high-protein versions of everything from bagels to water.

The 19-year-old University of Manchester student began using it a few months ago because she felt she wasn't getting enough protein in her diet.